Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova has announced that she will be retiring at the end of the 2025 season. The announcement came moments after Wimbledon awarded a wildcard to the two-time champion to compete at this year’s edition of the tournament.
Petra Kvitova Took to Social Media to Announce That She Would Be Retiring From the Sport.
Petra Kvitova, 35, wrote about her tennis journey in a long post where she announced her retirement.
The Czech mused that growing up in her hometown and hitting the first tennis balls with her father, she never imagined becoming a professional tennis player “being able to travel the world, and playing in the most beautiful stadiums around the world.”
However, “all of that became a reality,” she noted.
In the post, Kvitova recalled her biggest achievements in the sport – winning two Wimbledon Championships, and bringing home six Billie Jean King Cup trophies for the Czech Republic, and reaching the world No. 2 in the rankings.
“I have accomplished more than I could have ever imagined,” Kvitova stressed.
The 35-year-old shared that she is “excited and very much looking forward to soak in the beauty” of playing at Wimbledon one last time.
The Czech star revealed that she intends to finish my active playing career at the US Open in New York later this summer.
“I will leave the sport with the biggest smile on my face,” wrote Kvitova, “The same smile you’ve seen from me on and off court throughout my whole career.”
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Kvitova’s career saw several ups and downs. Since making her first main draw of a WTA event at the 2007 Nordic Light Open, the Czech would go on to win 31 times on the tour. Besides her triumphs at SW19, Kvitova also made the final of the Australian Open in 2019, where she was defeated by Naomi Osaka.
She skipped the 2024 season due to her pregnancy, and mounted a comeback to the tour this year. However, the 35-year-old struggled to win matches. Most recently, she fell to Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia at the Queen’s Club Championships in London.
How the Tennis World Has Reacted to Kvitova’s Retirement Announcement
Several stalwarts from the tennis world have reacted to the former World No. 2’s retirement announcement. Three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker congratulated Kvitova on a “very successful career” and said that he would miss her smile.
Germany’s Sabine Lisicki, who made the final of the Wimbledon championships in 2013, described Kvitova’s career as “incredible” in the comments.
“A career to be so proud of and an incredible role model for generations to come,” commented the Tennis Hall of Fame.
